Fire-extinguishing system



March 25, 1930. D. w. PATTERSON FIRE EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM Filed Sept. 20, 1921 Svwemtoz Duncan WPaZZensmw,

0'5 Que (mats 0 WW? M 4 pump as Patented Mar. 25,1930

(UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DUNCAN W. PATTERSON, OF DOUGLASTON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, IBY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO AMERICAN LA FRANCE AND FOAMITE CORPORATION, A CORPORATION on NEW YORK FIRE-EXTINGUISHING SYSTEM Application filed September 20, 1921. Serial No. 501,946.

the foam as and when required without. previous preparation and storage of separate foam-making solution.

The accompanying drawing illustrates one form of apparatus adapted for carrying out the invention. 1

Fig. 1 being an elevation partly in section and Figs. 2 and 3 enlarged sectional details.

In the drawing reference 10 represents an oil tank or other object to be protected against fire. The dry chemicals are stored in the containers 13 and 14 and the foam stabilizing material in the container 21, all these containers being located near the oil tank, and the container 21 being preferably placed underground where its liquid contents will be protected against freezing. The water supply is represented by a pipe 23 which may. lead from a municipal service main or a force will be understood. The'dry chemical containers 13 and 14 are mounted on stanchions 11 and 12, res ectively, and are constituted of upright cylmders'with charging openings 19 and 20 provided respectively, in their top covers 15 and 16. The bottoms of the containers are marked 17 and 18, re-

spectively.

The water supply is indicated as controlled by valve 28 which is automaticin the sense that it is provided with a weighted handle normally held in a closed position by a suspension means which includes a fusible link 29, the latter being understood to be placed where itwill melt from the heat of the fire allowing the handle to drop, thus turning on the water supply. Any other operating or starting means may be used for this purpose as will be understood. The water pipe is connected through the valve 28 and the connected fittings and pipe sections 24, 26, 27 and 25 to the bottom of each of the containers 13, 14 and 21 and in each of these connections there is interposed a perforated diaphragm, marked 35 for container 13, 38 for container 21 and 36 for container 14. The holes in these diaphragms, indicated at 37 in Fig. 2 and 39 in Fig. 3, are calibrated so as to cause a desired destribution of themater to the three containers. The water passing through the calibrated holes at the bottoms of the containers 13 and 14 flows through the passages 30 in container 13, and 31 in container 14, and thence laterally under the conical deflectors 32 (Fig. 2), and thence upwards through the powdered chemicals in the receptacles and thence by way of the pipes 46 and 4043, to the bottom of the mixing conduit 44.

The container 13 contains a suitable ba sic re-agent indry powdered form, such as powdered sodium bicarbonate and the container 14 contains a suitable acid re-agent in dry form, such as powdered aluminum sulphate, the two chemicals stated being preferred since they are best adapted for foam production and are the chemicals ordinarily used for that purpose. The foam stabilizing material in container 21 may be and preferably is the secondary extract of licorice root. The operation of my novel foam producing unit will in the main be apparent from the above detailed description thereof. The containers 13 and 14 and the receptacle 21 are charged with the powdered chemicals and the foam producing paste respectively, the chemicals and the paste being normally stored in these containers. In time of fire the valve 28 is either manually or automatically 0 ened, and water under pressureis con ucted through the water piping and introduced into the containers 13 and 14 and the receptacle 21 to effect the dissolving of the chemicals in the desired volumetric proportions to obtain solutions of the acid and basic salts and the foam producing substance. These solutions are then comixed to produce the acid and basic chemical component solutions, the basic chemical component solution being obtained by conducting the solutions under pressure by the resultant comixture, the foam compound being ejected under pressure from the mixing chamber 44 and into the oil tank 10 for extinguishing the fire therein.

While I have shown the invention in its preferred form, it will be obvious that changes and modifications may be made in the structure of the apparatus while still availing of the advantages provided by the principles disclosed, as set forth in'the followlng claims.

' I claim:

1. A fire extinguishing system comprising containers for separately holding acid and basic salts, a receptacle for holding a foam producing substance, means operable in time of fire for introducing a solvent into the containers for dissolving the salts, means for conducting the resulting basic solution and the foam producing substance into intermixing relation to produce the basic chemical component solution and means for thereafter conducting the said basic chemical component solution into intermixing relationship with the solution of the acid salt to produce a fireextinguishing foam compound.

2. A system for extinguishing oil tank fires comprising containers for holding concentrated acid and basic chemicals, at least one of the chemicals being in the form of a salt, a receptacle for holding a foam producing substance, normally closed pipe means connected to the containers and the receptacle for communication therewith, the pipe means being adapted to be opened in time of fire for introducing a solvent such as Water to and through the containers and the receptacle, a mixing chamber opening into the oil tank, solution lines connecting the mixing chamber with the said containers and a pipe line connecting one of the said solution lines with the said receptacle.

3. In apparatus of the class described, three or more containers for dry chemicals capable of forming, a fire extinguishing medium when mlxed 1n solut1on, a mixing chamber, connections between the containers and the mixing chamber, means to conduct water under pressure to each of the containers, thereby to dissolve the contents thereof and drive the solutions to the mixing chamber, and means for combining two of the said solutions prior to their entrance to the mixing chamber.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this sixteenth day of September, A. D. 1921 DUNCAN W. PATTERSON. 

